Don't forbid, but accompany your child.

Ms. Nguyen Phuong Linh, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development Management (MSD), commented that the influence of the Internet on children is like two sides of a coin.

Two sides of the coin

Nowadays, with just a phone or a computer connected to the Internet, people have unlimited access to resources from knowledge to entertainment of humanity. However, the easy connection of the Internet has the potential to harm users, especially teenagers.

It is no longer uncommon for students in big cities to own their own Internet access devices. According to a UNICEF survey, 87% of children aged 12-17 used the Internet at least once a day in 2022, an average of 5-7 hours a day. One of the consequences is that they do not have the ability to prevent, combat, and protect themselves from potential risks online.

Discussing this issue, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Linh, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development Management (MSD), commented: “The influence of the Internet is like two sides of a coin. On the one hand, young people are empowered to explore and proactively learn in the 4.0 era with endless tools. On the other hand, the Internet has dark areas that make it easy for children to access fake news, bad and toxic content; have their privacy and security violated; have their information stolen, defamed, and scammed online,...”.

Meanwhile, the Voice of Vietnamese Children Report said that more than 30% of children surveyed felt uncomfortable when adults in their family knew they were using the Internet. When encountering problems online, many children choose to solve them themselves.

According to Ms. Nguyen Phuong Linh, this situation increases the gap between parents and children: “Parents always want the best for their children. But sometimes extreme measures such as prohibition, privacy control… make children feel suffocated, tend to stop sharing, avoid”.

Join the kids

Teenagers are often psychologically vulnerable, so communicating and educating children is always a difficult problem for society. “At times like these, parents should not forbid, but accompany. Parents' openness but still seriousness will be the best attitude to become a companion with their children.

Accompanying requires parents to listen, be willing to share problems with their children, be willing to learn from them and discuss solutions with them. From the perspective of openness and companionship like a friend, children will be more likely to open up to listen and confide than to accept harsh demands or be imposed on them…”, Ms. Phuong Linh said.

According to Ms. Phuong Linh, in addition to sharing knowledge or supporting children with safety features, parents will further shorten the gap when they understand their children's preferences when using the Internet as well as their favorite platforms. "It is more ideal when parents directly participate in fun trends and experience the platforms with their children," Ms. Phuong Linh shared.

Besides accompanying, parents must first improve their own knowledge to become a reliable "source of information" when their children need help.

Mr. Minh Hai (HCMC) noticed his daughter's interest in lip-syncing since she was little, and together they filmed funny videos and posted them on the Internet since 2017. This was also the opportunity for Mr. Minh Hai and his daughter to receive widespread love.

According to him, filming funny videos with his children on TikTok is a way for him to understand and accompany his children in the digital world.

“Only by trying it will I know that there is always interesting and useful content on the Internet for my daughter and myself. However, I used to be very worried and limited my child’s use of the Internet. Parents should start using their children’s platforms, listen and talk to them; start participating in useful trends when they have time… Gradually, parents can both support their children to live safely and strengthen family ties,” Minh Hai shared.

In addition to accompanying, parents must first educate themselves to become a reliable “source of information” when their children need help. Understanding how to use and set up safety on platforms will support the process of parents accompanying their children.

Some platforms have specific features, like TikTok with Smart Family. When activated, parents can help their children manage their screen time, filter keywords, and limit inappropriate content, even when they are not physically present.

In addition, according to Ms. Phuong Linh, on the Internet there are always official information pages for parents to equip themselves with knowledge: “Social networking platforms also have propaganda campaigns for parents to discuss or participate with their children such as: #TryItWithTikTok, #LearnOnTikTok - two campaigns spreading useful information and tips that have reached billions of views on TikTok; #VaccineSo, #CreateKindness - where parents and children raise awareness of safety when using the Internet...”.

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